Minato: Life After the Sealing
by Kyuubi799
Summary: There are stories of Minato winding up as captain in the Gotei 13 after using the Siki Fuujin. what if he ascended to that position after having a few adventures with the Ryoka before hand? Rated M for violence. Possible other crossovers later. Please take time to read summary before commenting on romanization, otherwise you'll be ignored.
1. Sinigami of a Different Kind

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Summary: There are stories of Minato winding up as a captain in the _Gotei_ 13 after using the _Siki Fuujin_(i) (Dead Demon Consuming Seal), but what if he ascended to that position after having a few adventures with the _Ryoka_ before hand? How would the BLEACH universe and story be different had someone who knew how to fight already had been on their side before the Seiretei Invasion? Begins just before canon.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

**Chapter I- **_**Sinigami**_** of a Different Sort**

The first thing he saw was a dimly lit white ceiling. Looking around slowly, the blonde-haired man's blue eyes took in the sparsely furnished room. The curtains were drawn over the window, letting a sliver of weak morning sunlight. To his left was an EKG machine, a respirator and an IV drip, none of which were hooked up to his body.

To his right was a small table, which had several small pouches and a cloth with a steel plate, the engraving of a leaf with a spiral on it, laid upon it. That was all the furniture aside from the bed he was laying upon and a small wardrobe. The man got out from underneath the covers and off the bed, noting that he was still in his standard garb. This consisted of a blue long-sleeve shirt with an olive drab flak jacket overtop, with blue pants that ended tucked into bandage wrappings on the lower half of his shin. On his feet were black open-toed boots(ii), and his arms were covered with black detachable armored sleeves. Wrapped around the right leg just above the knee, were several bandages.

Most notable about the man's attire was the white cloak he wore. The garment was held by a cord of black nylon that held the cloak across the middle of his chest. Red flames circled the cloak at the hem, which hung near mid-shin. Embroidered vertically down the center of the cloak's back were the kanji **四代目火影**(iii).

The man walked over to the table and retrieved the cloth from the bedside table, securing it to his forehead to keep his unruly blonde hair in check. He then retrieved the pouches from the table securing all but one to his waist, just under the back of the flak jacket. The last he opened, revealing several trowel-shaped blades before closing it and securing it to his right leg, the strap encompassing the bandaged portion of his pant leg.

Finally, he retrieved a scroll from the table and slid it into a pocket on the flack jacket. Just as he finished securing his belongings, the door opened behind him, causing him to whirl around, whipping one of the trowel shaped blades from the pouch he had inspected out as he dropped into a defensive stance. Behind him was a man who appeared to be in his late forties, with black hair and a rugged-looking unshaven face.

The man was dressed in the standard doctor white coat over a yellow shirt with orange designs on it, as well as black dress pants. Upon seeing the blade in the blonde's hands, he held his hands up in a placating gesture, just before the blonde appeared behind him in a burst of speed, holding the blade to his neck.

"Alright. This is how this is going to work. I ask a question, you answer. I don't like the answer, you don't like the response. Understood?"(iv) the blonde stated. Upon receiving an imperceptible nod from his captive, he continued. "Good. First question. Who are you?"

"Kurosaki Issin. I am the father of the kid who brought you in. You were unconscious, and as I am a doctor, I was obligated to treat you, despite you lack of severe injury." the now identified Issin said. "May I inquire the name of my interrogator?"

"No. Second question. Where am I?"

"The Kurosaki Family Clinic in the city of Karakura." Issin said.

"By the name of this establishment, I assume you are self-employed."

"Yes."

"Third question. How long was I out and in what condition was I brought in?"

"You were out for three days. When my son, Itigo, brought you in, you were unconscious, but there were no signs of injury, internal or external." Issin stated. The blonde closed his eyes, focusing on his captive's heartbeat to determine if the information he had gleaned was true. Finding no evidence to the contrary, he released Issin.

"Minato." the blonde said.

"What?"

"My name. You asked my name earlier, it's Minato, Minato Namikaze."

"Pleasure to meet you, Minato Namikaze. Where are you from?"

"I hail from Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I am supposed to be dead."

"What do you mean?"

"In order to save my village from a demon's wrath, I used a technique to seal the beast within my own son. This technique required me to give my life to the Sinigami."

"Why would Seiretei require sacrifices for a sealing ritual?" Issin wondered aloud.

"What?"

"Ah forgive me. I assumed that since you had been in contact with a sinigami, that you knew about Seiretei."

"_A_ sinigami? I thought there was only one. There are more?"

"Yes, in fact I am an ex-sinigami. I've been living here in Karakura for 40 years now."

(i) In Romanization of Japanese, when an s is followed by an i, it is pronounced 'shi.' So 'si'='shi' in Japanese. As such anywhere I have a Romanized Japanese word with a 'shi' sound, I will write it 'si.' Also any 'chi' words in a Romanized word will be written 'ti.' For your convenience, any words that are Romanized (except character names), even if they are clear Romanization, will be italicized.

(ii) I believe that it sandals is improper because the sole is too thick. Furthermore the heels are enclosed and the footwear has ankles that are too long to be those for shoes. Add to that the entire top of the foot, except the toes, is covered; it is more likely to be a lightweight combat boot than a sandal.

(iii) This means _Yondaime Hokage_.

(iv) Sorry about the cliché interrogation opening, but if you woke up in an unfamiliar place with no knowledge of what's going on, you can't afford to take risks ne?


	2. Meeting the Family and Hollow Attacks

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

**Chapter II- Meeting the Family and Hollow Attacks**

Minato stared at Issin in disbelief.

"_You're _an ex-_sinigami_?" he asked skeptically. "Kind of hard to believe with your profession, old man."

"Not really, considering the entire fourth division of the _Gotei_ 13 is comprised of medics." Issin said. "Also, _Seiretei_ strictly forbids killing of living beings. If you've got a physical body, they can't touch you unless you did something really horrible."

"Hmm. Seeing as I have no currency of this realm, and I have no place to go, or even credentials, I humbly ask you to offer me lodgings for a short while until I can find a place to put my… unique talents to good use." Minato said.

"Well, I don't see a problem with it. The thing is, as we are short on rooms that aren't reserved for medical emergencies, you'll have to bunk with my son Itigo, the one who found you and brought you in." Issin stated. "I trust that isn't a problem?"

"No, it is not. Bedding will not be a problem, as I always like to be prepared for any eventuality, and brought along some camping equipment sealed in a scroll."(i) Minato said.

"Zya(ii), I guess the only thing left to do is meet the rest of the gang! Though I ask you not to mention my past to any of the kids. None of them are aware of it, and I'd prefer to keep it that way. They'll be home from school soon." Issin said looking at the clock on the wall, which read 16:00 (4 pm).

The two went down to the kitchen, where they sat at the table discussing old fight stories over a bottle of sake. Less than fifteen minutes later, two young girls, both around ten years old, entered with a tall fifteen year old boy dressed in a middle-schooler's uniform following less than a minute later.

The younger-looking sister had light-brown hair that was done up with a single red hair clip on the left side. She was wearing a lime green hoodie. The older-looking sister had black hair that hung strait, and was cut off at the shoulders. Her face portrayed boredom, though Minato could detect a trace amount of repressed emotion in her black eyes.

The boy was by far the most interesting. He had bright orange hair, and brown eyes. Minato could tell that this boy held a lot of power at bay that he was not aware of. He also noticed that the boy had some training in the martial arts, as his stance, while appearing relaxed, would allow him to react to most threats with efficiency.

The most intriguing thing about the boy was his eyes. They held much anger and sadness, as well as a drive. Minato continued to take in details about the boy, but he was always drawn back to his face, specifically the eyes. The orange-haired boy noticed the scrutiny, and seemed to get annoyed with it.

"Oi. I know my hair is interesting and all, but there is no need to stare openly at it." he said, irked.

"Your hair is the least distinguishing feature about you, kid. Your eyes are what intrigues me. You hold much anger and sorrow within them, and are always guarded. It's almost as if you have been through the trials of a warrior. What is your name, kid?" Minato asked with genuine interest.

"I-Itigo." The now identified Itigo replied, slightly taken aback that his hair was not the center of attention. "You?"

"Minato. I guess I have to thank you for bringing me here. I heard a few interesting things about you form Issin. I think he is right about training you to defend yourself against surprise attacks, but they just aren't stealthy enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I had your father demonstrate his preferred technique on me. Let's just say it didn't end nicely for your father."

"What happened?"

"I kept getting knocked away like I wasn't even a threat." Issin interjected in a whiny voice with fake anime waterfalls of tears.

"That's cause you _aren't_ a threat Issin. Where I come from, your 'sneak attacks' would be laughed at, or would get you killed faster than you can say 'kunai.' Face it old man, you're outclassed in terms of stealth." Minato stated, exasperated by the man's antics, while at the same time applauding him on his acting skills. "Regardless, you still have much to learn when it comes to a fight, despite your experiences with hand-to-hand combat. It would also help if we could increase your perception."

"What does that mean?" Itigo demanded.

"Well first, none of you realized you were talking to my _kage bunshin_ this whole time." came Minato's voice from behind, causing everyone there to jump before whirling towards the door. "What?" he said innocently, seeing Itigo pointing at him while looking back and forth between him and the other Minato.

Minato sighed before walking over to the one next to Issin and hit it over the head, causing it to dispel in a cloud of smoke with an audible popping noise. He turned to them and sat down where the clone had been sitting.

"How did you do that?"

"I used a technique called the _'kage bunsin,'_ which allows me to create one or more doubles of myself. Unlike standard _bunsin_, which are nothing but illusions, _kage bunsin_ can interact with their environment and do everything I can, though if they take a hit strong enough the dispel like you just saw. They also have limited sentience, which allows them to think for themselves to achieve the objective you gave them." Minato elaborated.

"Can you teach us how to—"

"No."

"Why not?"

"This is a forbidden technique where I come from. It is too dangerous to teach you it." Minato said. "Back to what I was saying about training. You definitely need to increase your perception. Not only will you be able to detect incoming attacks and avoid them, you should also learn how to detect someone who is shadowing you, as well as other spiritually aware persons around you."

"Wait, you know about that?"

"I did say you needed to learn to detect people shadowing you. I was following you from your school and saw you stop to beat up several thugs for knocking over an offering to a deceased girl. By the way that is rather admirable of you. Anyway, after they ran off, I observed a young girl with a chain sticking out of her chest with blood covering one half of her face speaking with you, and that she was partially transparent."

"You can see ghosts too?!" Itigo exclaimed, glad that someone other than his sister could see them too.

"If that's what the girl was, then yes, I can." Minato said. "Please no more interruptions. After that I noticed you have a rather large amount of _reiatu_(iii), one of the constituents of what allowed me to use that cloning technique you saw. While the level was much higher than most in this town, I did sense several, who happened to be students within your class, who had comparable levels of _reiatu_, specifically the top ranked student of your class Isida Uryuu, so it is possible these students could be spiritually sensitive to your extent as well.

"You have not noticed these persons due to the fact that you can't sense the energy of those around you. In fact you aren't even aware of the levels of _reiatu_ of either of your sisters. I intend to correct this. We'll start on your next day off. If that's OK with you, Issin?"

"Fine by me." _'Just hope Itigo doesn't notice my own _reiatu_. I think it's time I went to visit Kisuke. There's been increased Hollow activity as of late, and Itigo's going to have a big bull's eye painted on his back. Also, this Minato guy. His reiatu pools are massive!, they're nearly twice as large as Yamamoto_ sotaityo's(iv)_!'_ Issin thought.

—_The Next Night—_

Itigo was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling of his room. On the floor next to him, Minato was meditating. Suddenly, hearing a noise, Itigo bolted upright looking at the wall above his desk. Minato had leapt to his feet not two microseconds earlier and was facing that area in a defensive stance, kunai in each hand.

Stepping out of a black hole in the wall, following a swallow-tailed butterfly, was a short woman, no more than 4' 11", in black samurai-like garb with a katana hanging from her waist. She had short black hair that hung to her shoulders in back and framed her face with only a single lock in the middle hanging between her eyes, which were dark violet, almost black. She seemed to ignore the other two in the room, stepping forward past Minato, pausing slightly ignoring Itigo's questions before speaking.

"It is near." she said, most likely to herself, before she was pinned to the wall by several of Minato's kunai, which were coated in _chakra_, which was the only way he could make them interact with spiritual beings. He had found that fact out earlier when facing what Issin had later told him was a Hollow.

Ignoring Itigo's protests about using projectile weapons in his room, Minato approached the woman.

"Alright, I am only going to say this once, sinigami. If you don't want to wind up skewered by my knives next time, knock on the door before entering." Minato said, pausing and waiting for the now identified sinigami to nod before continuing.

"Now why are you here, the only problem here is a rather annoying Plus, though I hardly believe that deserves a house call."

"You're the one that killed that hollow earlier today! And you were the one with him who was holding onto that little girl plus! You can both see me?"

"Yeah, we can. Answer the question."

"I am here because I detected an incredible amount of _reiatu_ in this area, but I thought it was another hollow."

"Well it isn't. You're looking at the sources of that _reiatu_. But there is a hollow headed in this direction. Wait a few minutes and its howl will break through the fog our _reiatu_ is creating. Now I already know this stuff, but why don't you use this time to explain to the kid here just what you are and what your job is. And Itigo, be respectful to her, she may look young, but she's around three times older than me, and four times your age. Sinigami age much slower than humans."

"You are well informed. Where did you get your information, if I may ask?"

"Kisuke. He happens to be a friend of this guy's father."

—_Thirty minutes and one explanation later—_

"It's here." came Minato's voice from the window.

"What's here?" said Itigo, both he and Rukia (she introduced herself during the explanation) turning to Minato.

"The Hollow. I'll divert its attention away from the family while you get into a position to kill it." he said to Rukia. "I'm better to serve as a distraction as I am fast on my feet and have some defensive capabilities. That and I have the most _reiatu_ out of all three of us."

Rukia nodded. Then Minato surprised them both by disappearing in a bright flash of yellow light.

_To be Continued_

(i)What kind of kage would he be if he wasn't prepared for anything?

(ii)Japanese equivalent of 'well then.' Is pronounced 'jyah.'

(iii)'tu' in a Romanized Japanese word is pronounced 'tsu'

(iv)the 'cho' sound is produced in Japanese by combining the 'ti' (pronounced 'chi') and 'yo' kana resulting in 'tyo,' pronounced 'chyo.' Also, since _chakra_ is a mix of spiritual and physical energies, it is reasonable to assume that _chakra_ is denser than _reiatu_, meaning that to get to the level that can breach dimensions under your own power, since that's what the _Siki Fuujin_ did in this fic, you would need a substantially greater amount of _reiatu_ to do so, and as far as we know the _sotaityo_ of the _Gotei_ 13 is incapable of doing this on his own.


	3. Saving a Sinigami’s Life, Oh the Irony

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon. I also apologize in advance for my confusing Romanization. I merely write what the kana translate into, not their phonetics. For your convenience, any Romanized words will be _italicized_, and I will provide a basic guide of kana-romaji translations with how the are pronounced phonetically after the footnotes.

**Chapter III- Saving a Sinigami's Life, Oh the Irony**

Outside the Kurosaki residence, Minato appeared in front of Fishbone-D, the attacking hollow, in the flash of yellow light that had immortalized him as _Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō_, the Yellow Flash of Konoha. The Hollow, looked down upon the blonde with its cold yellow eyes before turning to the house and smashing the wall in. As it reached towards Issin and his two daughters, Karin and Yuzu, there was another flash of yellow, followed by the Hollow's hand being stopped dead by Minato's own.

The Hollow's eyes narrowed, and in speed that would be too quick for a normal human to perceive, struck out at the annoying blonde obstruction. Its eyes widened in surprise when the fist was stopped dead by the golden-haired enigma. The shock quickly turned to an enraged roar as the masked head shot forward to devour the ex-kage, only to freeze when the man vanished, along with one of its hands.

Minato smirked at the obvious stupidity of the creature, but was suddenly thrown into the wall by a powerful strike from his adversary. Cursing his cockiness, and the pain he was now in, he could have sworn several ribs had broken at that impact, Minato looked up to see the beast's limbs coming in for a second shot. This was interrupted by a flash of metal, as the creature's blood sprayed from the wound created by the soul-cleaving blade wielded by his new _sinigami_ acquaintance.

Thirty seconds later he had been propped against the stairwell wall by Itigo.

"You okay?" came the carrot-top's concerned question.

"Yeah," Minato replied in a strained voice. "just got cocky and made a rookie mistake. Looks like it's up to you to back up the midget. Be careful though. That thing completely ignored me, meaning that you're its target. Just don't do anything stupid, kid. World's got enough dead heroes."

As Itigo left to help Rukia, Issin moved discretely over to Minato's side.

"You look pretty beat up." he stated. "I know you hate having to send Iti out there, so I've got a proposition. I recently replaced my power-suppressing _gigai_, but I'm still not up to par. I can give you the power to fight, but it will require you to become a _sinigami_ yourself."

"Sounds good." Minato said, turning to the 'unconscious' ex-_sinigami_. "It will sure make fighting these damn things easier. Just do the procedure, old man, and spare me the impending lecture."

Neither of the men were aware of the similar situation happening in front of the Hollow at that time. Almost as one, Rukia and Issin pushed their _zanpakuto_ into their respective substitutes, just as the Hollow went on the offensive once more. The area was bathed in twin waves of _reiatu_, blinding those still conscious.

As the light dimmed, the Hollow found itself short two arms. Behind it were two figures with bright hair. The one on the left wore the standard _sinigami sihakusyo_. The only difference was the massive sheath strapped to his back, which would hold the ridiculously oversized katana in his hands that could easily be mistaken for a _zanbatou_. This figure had orange hair.

The one on the right had on a standard _sihakusyo_, but he also seemed to have a captain's _haori_ resembling the cloak of a certain yellow flash everyone had become familiar with. What the others couldn't see was that underneath the _haori_ were several pouches and a flak jacket. There was also a spiral-leaf design embroidered on the left shoulder of the _haori_. In the man's right hand was a pitch-black o-katana (similar to Itigo's _Tensa Zangetu_, except without the swastika-like hand guard). This man's hair was blonde.

Both blades seemed to hum with hidden power.

"You too, huh?" came Itigo's voice,

"Yeah. You think I'm going to let you have all the fun? Besides, I never was good at standing on the sidelines watching those who were in need." came the blonde's reply. "Let's finish this. You gut the SOB, I'll cut of his head."

"Right. Let's do this." Itigo roared as he whirled around, launching towards the Hollow, Minato just behind him. Itigo swung his massive blade, causing crimson ichors to spray out, followed shortly by some intestines. Before the Hollow could even rear back and roar in pain, its head became disassociated with its body, and soon thereafter, it dissolved into bluish-white particles, scattering to the wind.

Less than three seconds later, both substitutes passed out. At the end of the road, a blonde-haired man with a black_ haori_, _geta_, and a white-and-green striped hat watched silently from the darkness.

**Omake- Cranial Rape**

"You bastard!" the newly turned Itigo cried. "I'll make you pay for harming my family."

"Yeah!" cried Minato. "We're going to eviscerate you and use your gastro-intestinal tract as a condom as we fornicate with your cranium!"

"**What"** the Hollow asked dumbly.

"_WE'RE GONNA SKULL F**K YOU!!!!_" Minato and Itigo screamed in tandem before launching themselves at the Hollow in a rage.

AN: I do not own that quote. Sole credit goes to TeamFourStar, and the ever-hilarious DBZ Abridged.

Translational Guide

チ ti pronounced 'chi'

シ si pronounced 'shi'

ツ tu pronounced 'tsu'

シャ syo pronounced 'sho'

ティ te+i= ti pronounced 'ti' (these will be shown by these kana placed in parentheses after the Romanization)


	4. The Princess and The Giant Part 1

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

Just a note, due to comments on the way I Romanize, I will post the chapters again with Phonetic Romanization (what you commonly see in the American versions of many manga) as a separate story, while continuing to write the story as I am currently. Edited chapters will start posting after I reach a length of at least ten chapters. Thank you for your patience with my odd style (from how you are used to seeing it) of Romanization.

On with the post-death carnage

**Chapter IV- The Princess and The Giant Part 1**

—_Street in front of Kurosaki Clinic, Itigo's POV—_

_The bloodied forms of my family approached me, pain-filled expressions locked in place on their faces._

"_Ouch… What's going on… Itigo…" came my father's voice._

"_It hurts… brother…" Yuzu groaned._

"_If you became a _sinigami_… weren't you going to protect us…!?" dad cried._

"_Owwwww!!" Yuzu screamed._

_I whirled about eyes locking on the _sinigami_ from before, Rukia was her name._

"_Sorry!" she exclaimed. "It was too late!"_

"_What did you say!?" I cried, out raged._

"GOOD MORNING! ITIGOOOO!!!"

—_Kurosaki Residence, Itigo's Room, standard POV—_

"GYAAAAAAAAAA!!!" This cry of surprise and pain was followed by a series of loud crashes.

(Please note that the last scene was copied verbatim from the Bleach Manga)

"You know, those attack tactics would work if you didn't announce your attack." Minato commented, looking at Issin's prone form, which was pinned by Itigo's hand. "Of course, with me, you would have been killed either way for attacking me." '_I wonder if_ gigai _bleed like normal people though._' Minato added as an afterthought.

"What kind of father attacks his own son while he sleeps!" Itigo cried in indignation, before sweatdropping as both Minato and Issin raised their hands. "Aside from you two nutcases, I mean."

"Look, save the argument for later, you two." Minato said. "Itigo needs to go to school, and I have some business to attend to. After school Itigo, you and I need to have a talk about last night."

"O-okay." Itigo said. He then sprinted to the bathroom to get ready for school.

After the door closed, Issin turned to Minato. "You going to see Kisuke, huh?"

"Yeah. I need to train in detaching myself from my physical body so that I'm not reliant on some outside source. You focus on replenishing the power I accidently siphoned out of you, old man. I have a feeling you're going to be needed in the future." With that, Minato vanished in a flash of yellow, destined for a seal he had carved into the fence of the alley leading to the _Urahara Syōten_ with his chakra on his first visit with Issin.

—_Alleyway near _Urahara Syōten_—_

Appearing just around the corner from Kisuke's abode, Minato strode out into the open. He was greeted with the sight of a red-haired boy looking of the age of ten being suspended off the ground by a very tall man with light tan skin. In front of them was a shy-looking girl, nearly the same age as the boy with black hair with an interesting bang structure resembling the feelers of a cockroach.

"_Ohayo_!" Minato called approaching. "How's it going Tessai? Jinta giving you trouble again? Hey Ururu."

Turning, Tessai saw Minato and immediately greeted him. "_Ohayo gozaimasu_, Namikaze-san. What brings you here today?"

"Oh, just thought I'd stop by and chat. Maybe ask Kisuke for some help with a problem."

"Very well. We were just about to open. Please, come inside." Tessai said, opening the door to the 'sweets' shop (the cover for _Urahara Syōten_, when the customers aren't sinigami needing resupply.). They entered, Minato looking at the merchandise on display.

"Please wait here while I wake up the manager."

"No need, I'm already up. _Irassyaimase_ (shopkeeper's greeting), what can I get for you?" came a laid back voice, followed by a man wearing a black cloak with white diamonds circling the hem over a green _haori _and _hakama_, as well as a green-and-white stripped hat and wooden _geta_. "Ah, Minato. Nice to see you again. So what'll it be?"

"Dispense with the formalities, Kisuke. I know you were watching that fight at the Kurosaki clinic, and I also know you have captain-level _reiatu_." At Minato's words, Kisuke's face grew serious.

"Not many can sense that little fact about me, and even fewer know about my past. You must be quite sensitive to know how powerful I am."

"I could tell just how powerful Issin was even when he was inside that power-suppressing _gigai_ he was living in. I said what I did because I want you serious when you train me how to control the powers of my _sinigami_ form. You don't have to teach me the secrets of _sikai_, as I will figure it out on my own. I just want two things out of you."

"Oh? And what might those be?"

"One, I want proper instruction on wielding a blade of katana length, as I am only trained in the use of _kunai_. Two, I need to know how to enter _sinigami_ form without outside help, that includes using _ginkonkan_ (artificial souls, disguised as small green pills). That's all I need from you."

"Wouldn't you also like to learn _syunpo_? Speed seems to be your style, and _syunpo_ is a _sinigami_'s speed."

"While a good idea, I don't think I'll need it. I have found that I can still use my _jutu_ in spirit form, and two of the techniques that made me famous were speed techniques. One is the one that earned me my nickname, _Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō_, the _Hiraisin_. The other is my short-range speed technique, the _sunsin_.

The major difference between the two is range and method. _Sunsin_ can be used to go anywhere in my line of sight in the blink of an eye, but I have mastered it to the point where I leave after images when using it. _Hiraisin_ can be used to take me anywhere in an instant, as long as I have the seals that are engraved on these _kunai_ placed as an anchor to catch me at the destination." Minato elaborated, holding up a tri-bladed _kunai_ to show the seal. "The only sign that I have used this technique is the signature yellow flash that is created by its activation."

"_Zya_, I guess you are set in the speed department. I guess we should head downstairs to train then. Tessai, close the shop."

—_Training ground under _Urahara Syōten_—_

Minato whistled appreciatively at the size of the underground training area. "Amazing! I wish I had one of these back home. Would be so freaking awesome to train where no one can get to me." he said.

He turned around and saw Tessai crying with happiness for some reason. "Your words of appreciation warm my heart." he said.

"Well, I'll give you the tour later." said Urahara. "For now, let's get down to business."

—_Kurosaki residence, the following night—_

Itigo and Minato were laying in their respective sleeping places, staring up at the ceiling, when they heard an incessant beeping coming from the closet.

"It seems we have an order. When and where, Rukia." Minato said preparing to eject from his body, without turning to the closet.

Rukia burst out of the closet, pulling on a red fingerless glove with a flame-outlined skull on the back.

"Here," she said, pushing Itigo out of his body as Minato unsheathed his _zanpakuto_, readying for a fight. "and now." she finished just as a red hand and arm phased out of a shadowy portal on the wall, slamming into the bed where Itigo had just been

"Well shit." Minato said. " Itigo, stay back. It's too small for us both, and I have a weapon that doesn't touch the ceiling when held straight up."

Minato flashed forward with a _sunsin_ burst, swinging the black o-katana in his hand at the snake-like hollow's head, only to be intercepted by the hollows arm, drawing blood from the shallow wound inflicted. He blurred back slightly before lunging underneath the hollow's arms and swinging at its head again, only for it to move at the last possible second, causing part of its mask to be broken off, revealing the upper left corner of the hollow's face. The hollow roared as if in pain, though it sounded as if a man's screams were overlapped with the roar, then it fell back to the wall, leaving the same way it came.

"Shit! It's getting away!" Minato yelled heading to the open window to give chase.

"Wait!" Itigo called. "Explain something to me. That hollow's face… it was Orihime's brother Sora! Just what the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain on the way! Just get your ass in gear or Inoue's dead!" Minato shouted back.

The sinigami substitutes and Rukia were now sprinting towards Orihime's house. "All right. Hollows are merely human souls that never passed on. Us 'killing' them just sends them to either 'Heaven' or 'Hell' depending on their life before death. Since it's Inoue's brother we're fighting, Orihime's a target because hollows always go after family members first." Minato explained as he ran.

"Well then, we'd better make sure that doesn't happen." Itigo said vehemently.

**Ending Notes**

First, I wish to ask you to treat any Romanized word with 'syo,' 'syu,' or 'sya' as if the 'sy' were 'sh.' Second, to those who gave reviews, I thank you for your input, and hope for your continued patronage. Lastly is to inform my readers that there is a poll on my profile page. The purpose of this poll is to determine who will be paired with Itigo.

Just remember that a little insanity is the key to a healthy lifestyle!

-Kyuubi799


	5. The Princess and The Giant Part 2

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

It has been decided that Kushina Uzumaki will appear later in this fiction, but not as you might expect. I also have plans for the Bijuu for this fiction as well. Please visit my profile page to vote on who Itigo should be paired with. If you do not see the person you want there, just send me a message and I will adjust the poll accordingly. I don't want to use Rukia though, due to Renji's past with her, that pairing would be easier to orchestrate.

Let the story continue, even in death

**Chapter V- The Princess and the Giant Part 2**

—_Apartment, just after Sora's attack on Itigo—_

"ARE YOU _STUPID_?!?" a black haired, 15-year old girl cried, her shouts directed at a rather… _gifted_ auburn-haired girl of the same age, who was seated across the table from her.

"How rude!" the auburn-haired girl said, affronted. "I am not stupid!"

"Yes you are!" her black-haired peer countered. "To waste a chance like that." she added, more to herself than anything.

_Cue Flashback_

_The auburn-haired girl was walking past the park near her apartment, singing some mindless ditty to herself. _(note that this is a scene that the manga uses in chapter 3 and does not appear in the anime.) _As she walked by the stairs that lead down the hill into the park, she spotted a mop of spiky orange hair._

"_It's Kurosaki-kun!" she exclaimed, moving to greet him as he was not facing her. She walked up behind the carrot-top, though he seemed so engrossed in what he was doing that he had yet to notice her._

"_HELLO, KUROSAKI-KUN!!" she shouted directly behind him, causing him to cry out in surprise._

_Whipping around, Itigo asked, "I-… Inoue? W-w-w-what are you doing here?" still slightly startled by the girl's entrance._

"_Eheheh. Just doing a little dinner shopping. I bought onions and butter and bananas and gelatin!"_

'Just what is she planning to make'_ Itigo thought, a large teardrop of saline (sweatdrop) appearing at the back of his head._

"_What are you doing here Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked._

"_Oh, me? I am… um…"_ 'What should I say? Telling her I'm training would be embarrassing.'_ Itigo thought._

_Orihime suddenly noticed someone standing behind Itigo that she hadn't seen earlier due to their incredibly short stature._

"_Kuchiki-san?" she inquired, speaking to Itigo's sinigami _(she doesn't know this yet)_ for the first time since her arrival._

"_Hm? Who the hell are you?" she asked, none too politely._

"_Idiot!" Itigo whispered. "That's Inoue! She's in our class!"_

_Reacting to the information quickly, Rukia greeted Orihime. "Oh, Inoue-san. Honored to make your acquaintance." _'I see…' _Itigo thought._ 'In front of my classmates, she intends to play that character."

"_Eh… Yes… honored to make your…?" Orihime replied._ 'You're going along with it?!' _Itigo responded in his mind. The he noticed a bandage around Orihime's arm, just above the elbow._

"_What's wrong… with your arm?" he asked. "You fall down?"_

"_Oh, this? No! I was hit!"_

"_Hi… HIT?! By a _car_?"_

"_Yeah. Last night I went out shopping to get something to drink and __**bam**__! I've been getting run over a lot lately, Eheheh." Orihime confirmed sheepishly._

"_You shouldn't be laughing!" Itigo scolded. "That's a serious accident! You should be angrier!"_

"_Well, it's not like they hit me on purpose…"_

"_You get hurt often, Inoue-san?" Rukia asked._

"_More than often! It's almost everyday!" Itigo said._

"_I zone out a lot… so…" Orihime said, rubbing the back of her head._

"_Then you shouldn't act like it's unavoidable like that!" Itigo said._

"_Hmmm." Rukia sighed. _'So she's just an airhead…"_ Then a bruise on Orihime's leg caught her attention, and her face grew serious. "That mark on your leg, can I see it?"_

"_Oh, this? Sure, go ahead. I got this last night, too, so I think it must have been when the car hit me… Kuchiki-san? What's with the scary face?"_

"_Huh? Oh, no. I was just thinking… It looks painful…"_

"_Wow, you're right! My leg hurts much more than my arm!"_

"_Have you gone numb from the pain!" Itigo yelled. "Go to a doctor!"_

"_Huh? Um…"_

"_Why does that make you blush?"_

_While this dialogue was going on, Rukia was deep in thought. Orihime looked at her watch._

"_Oh!" she exclaimed. "It's this late?!"_

"_In a rush?" Itigo asked. "Want me to walk you home!?"_

"_What? N- no, I'm fine!" Orihime said, just a little bit too fast._

"_Okay. See you tomorrow!"_

"_Huh? Umm… Yeah, tomorrow!" Orihime jogged off. "…Darn. He surprised me, so I refused. …Stupid me. …but he didn't have to five up so easily…"_

_End Flashback_

"You have to take advantage of opportunities like that!" Orihime's friend said. "You should have accepted, maybe use the pain in your leg to lean on him. Then when you're in an unoccupied place, drag him into a dark alley, and KNOCKED 'IM DOWN!!!" her friend yelled suddenly with a manic look on her face, causing Orihime to spew what she was drinking.

"T-Tatsuki!" she spluttered.

"Don't worry! For you, just grab your breasts and he'll be the aggressive one. Then it's all his fault. But… for him to be so friendly with the transfer student who just arrived… I didn't know that Itigo was that good…" Tatsuki mused.

"Oh, but they were just at a park together." Orihime said

"Have you ever been to a park with only Itigo?" Tatsuki countered.

"Me… Kurosaki-kun… alone at a park…" Orihime said zoning out, before suddenly shouting "OH NO!! RUN! RUN AWAY ME!! NO, CHAMP!!"

'_What!? What's going on? Wasn't she fantasizing about a date at the park?'_ Tatsuki wondered. Suddenly, both girls were brought crashing to a halt in their interactions by a loud tearing causing them to whirl about fast enough to see a pink teddy bear fall to the floor with a gash in it's head.

Orihime ran to pick it up with a cry of "Enraku-kun!" After she picked it up, she noticed blood on the hand behind her head, just before something struck her very forcefully _through _the chest.

"Orihime!!!" Tatsuki cried when Orihime crumpled to the ground, just before an invisible force threw her into the far wall. Sitting unseen opposite her friend, Orihime was stunned motionless as she saw a giant, half-snake, half-man creature with a hole in its chest advancing upon her downed friend. Attached to her chest was a chain that stretched over to her prone form.

Pondering on this fact for a brief moment, she dashed over to Tatsuki, trying to get her attention, only for Tatsuki to lash out in fear.

"**It's no use, Orihime."** the steel-grey-and-red masked monstrosity behind her said. **"She can neither see nor hear us. I'll deal with her once you are dead."** it said just before lunging, only to be intercepted by an orange-haired teenager in a black _sihakusyo_.

"Sorry Sora, but I can't let your sister die on my watch." Itigo said, forcing the hollow back.

"**You! I won't let you interfere!" **the hollow roared before striking at Itigo with its armored tail, knocking Itigo aside. It turned to Orihime. **"Where was I? Oh yes, DEVOURING YOUR SOUL!!!"**

The beast that was Sora lunged again, but was then batted aside by a powerful blow from a blonde-haired man in attire that would be found on sinobi from one of Orihime's manga (Yes she reads Naruto. Hey, if _DragonMan180_ can get away with it in _A Dream is a Wish_, then so can I) underneath a white _haori_ with red flames circling the bottom and the kanji for _Yondaime Hokage_ embroidered on the back and a leaf symbol on the shoulder. Then in a flurry of movement, several shuriken nailed the hollow to the wall.

"Like the orange-haired dumbass over there said, not on my watch." He said. "Now hurry up and pass on."

The blonde disappeared and sliced the masked monster in half with his _zanpakuto_. As he began to evaporate, Sora turned his masked head towards Orihime, saying _"Sorry, sis. I wasn't exactly in control of myself there. I was just so lonely when you stopped praying."_

"It's okay. Remember the day you died? There was something I never got to say to you that day, now I can, just as you pass on. Good-bye, big brother."

Sora's one visible eye crinkled up in a smile just before it vanished.

"Now, we just need to return you to your body, and clean up this mess." Rukia said, turning to Orihime.

"Wait."

"What, Minato?"

"Both of these people have been exposed to high-spirit density beings. That modifier of yours will wear off eventually. Orihime here already has enough spirit energy in her body to begin noticing things. I ask that you allow them to keep these memories. Besides, the black-haired one was unconscious through most of it anyway.

I must ask that you come up with a believable cover story though, Orihime. It wouldn't do for this to get out in the open. Besides, who would believe the truth?"

"This is against all _Seireitei_ procedures." Rukia said.

"So is his existence." Minato countered, indicating Itigo.

"What about you." Rukia returned.

"I was created by a… _retiree_." Minato said. "No it wasn't Kisuke." he added seeing Rukia's look. Rukia sighed.

"That's not the poi… never mind. Let's just go."

—_Two days later, construction site—_

Three boys were sitting around a cage with a parakeet in it. They were conversing about the bird in hushed voices.

"A _cursed_ parakeet?" one asked.

"Yeah, I heard all his owners died horrible deaths. So it quickly gets passed around." said a second.

"What? And now it's come around to you?" the first said.

"Yeah… So I'm really scared… You want it Sigeo?" the second one asked.

"Idiot! How could I after hearing that!"

"What about you, Chad-san? It's really cute!"

"Idiot! Don't, Chad is weak to cute things like th…" the first started but was interrupted by a loud cracking sound. All three snapped their heads up to see a twelve-foot steel girder falling towards them.

Faster than either speaker could blink, Chad, the third boy was on his feet and had his arms spread protectively over the other two. The beam impacted the gigantic boy's back with a loud crash, but he miraculously stayed standing, the beam bent at the center where it impacted first. Chad was bleeding from his hairline.

"Cha… Cha-cha-cha-cha-Chad-san!? You caught a steel beam with your back." cried speaker number two.

"Are you all right Chad?" Sigeo asked. _"He's a freak!"_ he added under his breath.

"Mm… It's nothing." Chad said, speaking for the first time.

"What are you talking about!? You're bleeding!"

"Thanks for saving me." the parakeet said, surprising every one. "My name is Sibata Yuuiti. What's your name, mister?"

Ignoring the murmurs of his peers, Chad answered.

"S… Yasutora Sado."

_To be continued…_

Notes about the writing:

I don't care if they use _kunai_ as projectile weapons in _Naruto_, in real life, the best they can be used for is stabbing, as they are not balanced for throwing. Historically, _kunai_ were just gardening trowels, so whenever Minato uses projectiles, they will either be shuriken or fuuma shuriken.

If you want to know how Orihime went from imagining a date with Itigo to her outburst, read the manga. It is shown in chapter 4.

I know the fight with Sora was rather boring, but Minato is their. Not only does he have _reiatu_ greater than any captain, including Yamamoto and Aizen, the guy was a _kage._ If he isn't able to beat one small fry hollow without problems, he probably didn't deserve the title.

Yes, I let Orihime and Tatsuki keep their memories. I did this for two reasons. One, during the contest with Isida, Tatsuki states that she and Orihime vaguely remember that night anyway. And two, Tatsuki was unconscious to begin with, so she doesn't remember most of the fight.

Tatsuki might develop her spiritually sensitivity quicker this time, and I think I'll make her a _sinigami_, merely due to the fact she is like a clone of Kukaku Siba, in mind and, to an extent, body. Have you seen how close their faces match?

I plan to include the Bount and _Zanpakuto_ Rebellion arcs too.

One last thing, while it may seem as if Minato is taking all of Itigo's kills, or Itigo is not getting enough 'screen time,' remember that this is about Minato's involvement in events, and is centered around him. Don't worry though, Grand Fisher, and all of his kills in the _Seireitei_ Invasion arc are still his.

Experimenting on humans and Still Alive (Portal reference)

-Kyuubi799


	6. The Princess and The Giant Part 3

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

Please remember to visit my profile to vote on the pairing for Itigo. If you have an idea for someone that isn't included, just send me a message with the character and a reason and I will take it into consideration. No Rukia/Itigo though, read the corresponding section from last chapter for my reason. And once again, I apologize for any confusion my style of Romanization causes.

The cover of this story has printed in large, bold, friendly letters the words _Don't Panic_. So chill.

**Chapter VI- The Princess and the Giant Part 3**

—_Roof of Karakura Kotogakko—_

"Wow." Itigo said. "That hairline fracture I got after getting knocked through the wall healed up really well! Not even a blemish!"

"You're still surprised?" Rukia asked conceitedly. "What did you expect? My _kido_ (demon arts) grades were top of my class. Healing wounds like that is nothing."

They were conversing atop Itigo's school. It was currently lunch break.

"_Grades?_ What, there's a _sinigami_ school?"

"Hm? Well, something like that. Anyway Itigo… How do I drink this?" Rukia asked, holding an ordinary juice box up to Itigo.

"Wha-? of course you stick the straw in." Itigo said.

"Straw?"

"What's this?" came a voice from the door to the stairwell. Approaching them with his lunch in his hands was a boy with black hair and dark eyes his uniform was zipped all the way up. "You guys are together again. You two sure get along well."

"Mizuiro." Itigo said, acknowledging the newcomer. "Dumbass, does this look like we get along well?"

"You don't? Well, if you say so. But don't you think about the impression you're giving to those around you? You're kind of dense about that."

"Idiot. If I were worried about what others thought, I'd have dyed my hair a normal color, like black, a long time ago."

"That's true. Hello Kuchiki-san!" Mizuiro greeted, completely unaware of Rukia's plight concerning the juice.

"Hello, umm… Kojima-kun?" she greeted.

"Bingo! You remembered me even though we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Kojima Mizuiro, age 15. My hobby is—"

"Womanizing." Itigo cut in.

"Huh!? N… No it isn't. You're horrible!!"

"With this face, yet he's all over them. Watch out."

"Stop it." Mizuiro whined. "You're ruining my reputation. Besides, I only go after older women, you know that!"

"That's why I told her to watch out."

"Hey!" called a second boy, this one with brown hair and dark eyes. "Can I join you guys?"

"Hey Keigo. Go ahead."

"Huh? Chad's not here?" Keigo asked.

"Nope."

"Oh yeah, I haven't seen him." Mizuiro interjected.

"That's weird. Where'd he go?" Keigo asked. Then he took notice of Rukia, and launched into a series of overdramatic actions and overzealous introductions. He was cut off by a sharp knee to the back.

"Yo, Kurosaki." came the thick, unintelligent voice of the owner of the knee.

"O… Oosima" Keigo stammered. "They lifted your suspension…"

"I'm not talking to you." the assailant said. "Hey Kurosaki, when are you gonna dye your hair? With that bleached hair and drooping eyes, you're copying me."

"Shut up." Itigo snapped. "How many times do I have to tell you, this is the natural color of my hair. I'm not copying you. Do something about your own hair, chicken-head. Lay any eggs lately?"

"Chick—!! You bastard!!" Oosima reached into his jacket and pulled out a set of 'iron knuckles.' "I'm gonna kick yur arse!!" he shouted, unintentionally making a fool of himself.

"_Yur arse?_ You know how stupid you sound. It's said 'I'm going to kick your ass' dipshit." Itigo scoffed.

"Heh… It's too late to late to apolo—" he was cut off by someone striking him from behind with a very heavy blow, sending him flying. "…gize?" he finished, confused.

"Ch… Chad!" Keigo exclaimed, relieved. He received a non-committal grunt as a reply. "Be more careful, you could've killed Oosima. You did save us though." His thanks were again responded to with a non-committal grunt. Then Itigo saw the bandages.

"You're injured? What happened?" he asked, getting Chad's attention.

"…My head… from yesterday. Steel beam fell from above." This was met with multiple cries of "steel beam" before he continued. "My hand and stuff is from when I went to buy bread… I collided with a motorcycle. The guy on the bike was seriously injured so… I took him to the hospital…" he explained his reason for tardiness in his deep, quiet baritone voice. He then moved to set a birdcage that was slung over his shoulder down, ignoring Itigo's less than polite remark about his sturdiness. This caught Keigo's attention.

"Oh? What's with the bird?" he inquired. That was when the bird, a parakeet, decided to display it's vocabulary.

"Hello!" it said in a small, happy voice. "My name is Sibata Yuuiti! What are your names?" Itigo suddenly felt the presence of a spirit, which concerned him greatly.

"Oh, wow!" Keigo exclaimed. "He speaks so well! My name is Asano Keigo! Say it? Asano?" Keigo continued speaking with the parakeet, degrading into meaningless and rather comedic banter.

"Chad…" Itigo started, concern barely hidden. "where'd you get the parakeet?"

"Yesterday… I got it." With that, Chad was forced to defend himself from the indignant tirade Keigo launched into at hearing his lack-luster explanation.

On a rooftop near the school, within earshot of the group (for a sinobi), sat a blonde-haired man with a white cloak. He had been following Chad since just after the motorbike accident, he could tell that the spirit in the parakeet was rather innocuous, but felt the taint of a hollow coming from the wounds.

_I should keep an eye on him, whatever's going on, that boy's life is in danger._ Unseen to the group atop _Karakura Kotogakko_, the man disappeared in a flash of golden light.

—_15:23 Kurosaki Clinic—_

Itigo walked in the door, and within ten seconds, he was being shouted at by an urgent Yuzu.

"Move out of the way, Brother!" she cried, rushing by in a nurse outfit.

"What's the rush, Yuzu?" he asked, just before Karin bolted by dragging a gurney, yelling "move it."

"What's going on here?" Itigo asked, spooked.

"An accident! There was a car wreck a the intersection!" Yuzu shouted back, before dashing out the door.

"What!!" came a frustrated shout form his father's office. "I said I need four beds! …You can't accept that many? Do something! We don't have the equipment to help these people! Listen tell the manager that this is a request from Kurosaki, then tons of beds will open up! Damn these lower-level fools!" Issin growled, slamming down the phone.

"Anything I can help with?" Itigo asked tentatively.

"No. Stay in the corner and stay out of the way!"

—_Several minutes later—_

"Whoa, a big one has arrived!" Issin said as a man was dragged into the clinic on the back of Minato. "Itigo, a job for you! Help carry him!"

Responding quickly, Itigo rushed to help, nearly freezing up when he saw who was slung over Minato's shoulder. "Chad!?"

"…Itigo?"

As this exchange was taking place, Karin was staring at the parakeet with a severely disturbed expression on her face, something that was not lost on Minato. While no one was paying attention, Minato slipped a small paper tag into the back of Chad's shirt.

Issin caught his eye, letting Minato know that he had seen, and wanted an explanation. Signaling that he would tell him later, Minato and Itigo lugged Chad to a recovery room for examination.

When they took off Chad's shirt, Minato noticed two things, one of which would help identify Chad later. The first was a tattoo of a winged heart wrapped by a snake with a banner with the words _amore et morte_ (love and death) on his left arm. The second was a very large, palm-shaped burn on his back that was bleeding profusely.

"This is terrible. Looks like a burn. Plus, it's bleeding all over." Issin said. "You'll have to remain here…"

"No." Chad cut him off. "I… I'm fine now."

"Don't be stupid!" Issin cried. "As much blood as you've lost, you couldn't be! See!" he said as Chad collapsed. "Yuzu, Karin! Get him into a bed!"

With that Itigo, went back to his room, and Minato followed Issin to his office. Once there, Issin closed the door, went over to a cabinet, and pulled out a bottle of sake and two saucers.

"Now, tell me exactly what that thing you slipped into his shirt was." Issin said, pouring himself some sake before offering some to Minato, who politely declined.

"I understand your concern Issin, but that tag will not bring any harm to Sado. That was a seal formula tag that is an exact replica of the seals on my tri-pronged _Hiraisin_ _kunai_, which will allow me to get to his location immediately, should he need my assistance. Inoue and Arisawa already have similar seals painted on the backs of their necks, above the hairline, which I placed upon them while both were unconscious after Sora's attack.

This is for the same reason I slipped that tag on Sado. I'll put a more permanent seal on him after the hollow responsible for that pile-up is dead." Minato explained. "Keep an eye on Karin. What ever she saw from that parakeet, it's tearing her up. It might have to do with Sibata's death."

In Chad's room, there nothing but an empty bed and an open window.

—_Streets of Karakura, after Itigo discovers Chad's disappearance—_

Itigo was sprinting down the road, looking down side streets as he searched.

"Itigo!" came Rukia's cry.

"Chad's missing, we need to find him! If that wound really was caused by a hollow, his life is in danger!"

"How are we going to find him! I do not sense a hollow's presence, meaning we can't track him that way."

"What about tracking that boy's spirit, the one in the parakeet."

"Impossible, the spirit is weak, and is also overshadowed by the soul of the parake— Are you listening to me Itigo?"

Itigo didn't respond, his eyes were closed. He seemed deep in concentration. Suddenly, Rukia's eyes widened as a large number of white ribbons sprouted from nowhere. After a few seconds, Itigo shouted triumphantly and grabbed a specific ribbon before opening his eyes and sprinting off, shouting "This way!"

'_Those were _reiraku_ (spirit ribbons), a high-level skill that even I am not able to perform! He is progressing quickly indeed.'_

—_Unknown warehouse—_

Chad was huddled underneath a tarp with the parakeet in his arms. _'I think I lost it for now.'_ His thought were interrupted by a loud crash from above. Before he could react, there was a blinding flash of yellow, and he felt himself being carried out of the building. He looked into the face of his savior.

He saw a man with blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, the same one who had carried him into the Kurosaki clinic.

"Keep a hold of the bird. I'll get us away from the hollow. Hopefully it will follow us long enough for Itigo to find it and kill it." The man said.

"Hey! Minato!" came Itigo's voice from the left at a three-way intersection.

"Itigo! Keep following me. The bastard's right on our tail! I'll act as the decoy so you two can kill his ugly ass." Minato shouted as he sprinted to the right.

"…Iti…" came the weak voice of Itigo's sister, Karin. Worried for her well being, Itigo went to carry her home, sending Rukia alone after Minato and Chad.

After a few minutes of running, Minato and Chad herd a loud crash from Rukia's direction. Minato cursed.

"Damn. Rukia's fighting that thing alone! She hasn't recovered enough to beat even the lowest level hollow! Chad, take the bird and run, I'll deal with that thing. That bastard probably has a ranged ace in the hole. It probably involves these leech things."

"What leech things?" Chad asked.

"Damn it! I forgot you couldn't see them. I guess Rukia's on her own until Itigo gets there. Wait, I'll give you a clone escort. They'll let you know where there are threats so you can get out of here. Head to the school, we'll meet you there once we're done with bat boy." Minato ordered before sprinting off towards the explosion.

Rukia had just dodged another strike from the bat-like hollow that had ambushed her. She was having difficulty due the limitations of her _gigai_, and had taken some injuries. Her hollow opponent was cackling like a mad man.

This continued for several seconds, and Rukia found herself backed up against the fence borders of the alleyway. Just as the hollow was about to strike, he was knocked aside by a heavy blow to the face.

After skidding some distance, he recovered and looked at his assailant. His eyes widened when he saw a man dressed in strange combat gear with a white cloak over top standing in front of Rukia in a defensive stance, looking straight at him.

"M-Minato." Rukia said.

"Take a break, Rukia. You're not recovered enough to be fighting this asshole." Minato said without taking his eyes off of the hollow.

"You can see me." the hollow said, its eyes narrowing. "You must have a pretty strong soul. Also, your eyes. You've killed other humans before, haven't you?"

"Yes, but not because I wanted to. I am a sinobi, it was my job. And now it's my job to end your existence." Minato said, ejecting from his body. The hollow's eyes widened at not only this, but Minato's appearance.

'_From any other view, I might confuse this man for a captain, he certainly has the _reiatu_ for it, but he is dressed exactly like he normally is. The only difference is the _zanpakuto_ he wields, and even that is different from the norm.'_ the hollow thought to itself. "Intriguing. You have the abilities of a _sinigami_ yet you do not look like one."

"I am a 'substitute' _sinigami_, though I have different fighting methods than those you are used to fighting. The fact that my normal everyday/combat attire carried over is good. It allows me to fight comfortably." Minato said, drawing his _zanpakuto_ and beckoning the hollow to attack.

"It doesn't matter. You, just like the rest of my _sinigami_ opponents have underestimated me. Did you assume I didn't have friends?"

"I never once made that assumption, Ugly. It is you who has underestimated me. As a _sinobi_ I was trained to look underneath the underneath, to plan for every possible scenario before entering a fight. I admit I am still slightly impulsive, but this time, I hold the better hand. Look around you."

The hollow did, and saw hundreds of seal formula tags around them, covering the entire range his leech carriers could shoot. He didn't know what the tags did, but he knew that if his carriers got too close, they would be slaughtered.

"I also took into account the possibility of you using your quarry as a hostage and provided an escort for him. Now you are limited to one front of attack, and I can guarantee you will not defeat me in one-on-one combat, from any angle. I should let you know that from where I am from, I was well known for singlehandedly killing nearly two hundred people, an entire army, with a single technique, in one battle." Minato finished.

The hollow was looking visibly nervous now. Then Minato did something that surprised both him and Rukia. He sheathed his _zanpakuto_.

"Fool! Why did you do that?"

"Because your real opponent is behind you, and he seems quite pissed off." Minato said. The hollow looked confused for a second, then was slammed face-first into the ground by a powerful kick from behind.

"You bastard." Itigo said dangerously quietly. "You made Karin cry, and I don't appreciate that. Furthermore, how did you get it into Sibata's head that you could bring his mom back? You're the one that killed her in the first place! No matter, your sick game ends now! Rukia!"

Nodding, Rukia pushed Itigo's soul out of his body. _Sinigami_ Itigo spun toward the hollow, then swung his sword faster than anyone except Minato could follow and bisected his opponent. This somehow caused his bomb-carrier minions to explode, blowing large chunks of flesh out of the dying hollow.

Suddenly, as the hollow screamed in agony, a set of gigantic double doors appeared behind the hollow, the gap centered behind Itigo's cut. On the doors were a pair of skeletons with chains draping over much of the doors. The doors burst open and the hollow was immediately skewered on a giant butcher knife-like _zanpakuto_.

As the hollow was dragged into the fiery world beyond the door, a figure Minato never thought he'd see again walked through. The ghostly figure was tall, easily four to five times Minato's height. It was garbed in all white, and had a large mass of white hair, with two purple horns sticking through. What could be seen of its skin was also purple.

"Si-Sinigami-sama." Minato stammered.

"_Heheheh. Surprised to see me? Do not worry, I am not here to drag you to hell. You see, I sent you here to fulfill a purpose. I can talk freely to you as the others cannot hear us, though they know we are speaking. I brought you here to aid Kurosaki in defeating one Sosuke Aizen, who plans to attempt overthrowing _Kami_._

_You were brought here after being assigned to Zero Division, what most consider the Royal Guard. In actuality, Zero Division is more of a SWAT division, much like your ANBU. It is comprised of beings from many dimensions. You are here as a representative from this division, but you cannot let anyone know of your involvement in it._

_Expect help from unlikely places and people Minato. Farewell, I cannot keep the gateway to Hell open any longer. When you see him, give Yamamoto-kun my regards. It's been so long since I saw my otouto."_ With that, the spectral being returned to the depths of Hell. The doors closed behind him, and then exploded in a shower of red shards.

—_Sunset, Karakura Kotogakko—_

Itigo, Minato and Rukia met Chad at the designated place. After explaining that it was of the utmost importance that Chad remain tight-lipped about this, Sibata underwent _konso_. As Sibata disappeared into the disk of blue light, Minato looked out over Karakura, pondering what the _Sinigami_ had told him.

_End The Princess and the Giant arc_

**Notes**

First, _kotogakko_ is Japanese for high school, and schools are named by their region in Japan.

Second, Itigo may seem more intelligent then he is supposed to be, but remember the guy has excellent grades, and quite frankly, this allows him to be more condescending towards the bully.

Third, Minato placing _Hiraisin _seals on important characters is no different then him giving the _kunai_ to Kakashi in _Kakashi Gaiden_. It's just him looking out for those close to him.

Last, the _Sinigami_ of Naruto is a hellish-looking being, ne? Also the bit about Zero Division being a SWAT unit makes sense in my eyes. Why would "Spirit King" need protection? Plus this way, if I think I really want a character from another series, it's easy to incorporate them as back up for Minato's fights.

Alright! Next chapter marks the debut of everyone's favorite stuffed lion, Kon! Expect hilarity and perverted antics perpetrated by the body-stealing mod-soul to ensue.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

-Kyuubi799


	7. Modsoul Mixup

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

Just a reminder that there is a poll for Itigo's paring on my profile page. If you want to see someone with Itigo who isn't there, just PM me. Just remember, no Itigo/Rukia, it's more likely that she'll wind up with Renji, seeing as they have a history together. Other than that remember that any Romanization (excluding names) will be italicized, and that it is direct Romanization. Expect a rewrite in the future with phonetic Romanization (_Ichigo_ as opposed to _Itigo_) in the near future.

**Chapter VII- Mod-soul Mix-up**

—_Daybreak, unknown rooftop—_

Rukia was sitting atop a building, watching the sunrise and contemplating the recent hollow activity, as well as Minato's involvement in the events of the past month. She was contemplating what was going to happen once she returned to _Seireitei_, considering the number of statutes and laws she had broken, when her _gigai_ gave a huge spasm, causing her to gasp in pain.

"_Damn, this body needs repair if I am to continue recovery."_ she thought. _"It confuses me, though. I have drained my reiatu before, but never have I taken this long to recover."_

Discarding the thought, she headed to the place her _gigai_ originated, a non-descript, back-alley candy shop run by a man with wooden _geta_ and a funny hat.

—_0800 (8:00 am), Urahara Syōten—_

Ururu and Jinta were sweeping the street in front of the store when Rukia approached. Well Ururu was, Jinta was failing at emulating a baseball player with his broom.

After grabbing the handle of Jinta's broom when he began swatting at Ururu for mentioning his fear of Tessai, Rukia was let into the store.

"Ah, Jinta. It is not yet time to… excuse me Rukia-_dono_; I did not realize it was you. I will go wake the manager." Tessai said, getting ready to put down the boxes he was toting

"Too late, I'm already up. Seems this is happening a lot lately." came a lazy voice from a side room. "_Irassyaimase_, Kutiki-_san_. We received a shipment from the other side recently. So what can I do for you?"

"I need 60 soumafixers. My _gigai _hasn't been responding properly."

"_Zya_, shall I take a look at it? I'll give you a discount!" Urahara said, suddenly very friendly, a wide grin plastered on his face. "All two-hundred and fifty-five parts! I'll only charge 4980 Kan (currency of _Seireitei_, I'm guessing)."

"No thanks!" Rukia said, indignant.

"Geez, fine." Kisuke said with a sigh of resignation. "Paying by card?"

"No, I'm paying with these." Rukia said, holding up a cell phone.

"Bounty rewards?" Kisuke asked, taking the phone. "Fine by me, let's see what you've bagged.

'Fishbone D,' nothing. 'Hexapodus,' nada. 'Acid Wire,' no dough. These are all small fry, aren't they? None of these are even on the bounty list. Oh? This one's worth something. 'Shrieker,' bounty: 5000. Says he managed to kill two _sinigami_."

"Hmm. By the way, did my order arrive?" Rukia asked.

"Yes, it did!" Kisuke said, immediately brightening. "Please go retrieve it, Ururu."

After a couple minutes, a wrapped object was brought out, opening it up, Rukia seemed put off by something. "So… this was the only one available, huh?"

"Please don't say that. That is the second most popular version, so it was very difficult to obtain."

"I see… Thank you for being so quick. It was imperative that I get this."

"_Maido arigatou gozaimasu_, Kutiki-_san_."

—_1200 (noon), Karakura Kotogakko—_

Things had calmed down from the fiasco of Shieker's attack on Chad, and Keigo was busy attempting to amuse himself with the previously possessed parakeet, who had just mixed up his name with that of an affluent Japanese actor.

"It seems like the bird has a smaller vocabulary, Chad." Mizuiro remarked. "Did something happen?"

"…I dunno. He was like that when I woke up this morning." Chad said, remembering Minato's words of caution regarding the events of the last couple days.

"Good morning everyone!" called Rukia in a cheery voice.

"Ah! Good morning, Rukia." greeted Mizuiro, as everyone ignored Keigo's exuberant response. "That's rare, you're late to school."

"Yes, I had some business to attend to at home. By the way, Kurosaki-_kun_… Do you have a moment?" Rukia said, exuding false endearment as she turned to Itigo.

"Eh? What is it? If you need to talk then why not right he— urk!" Itigo collapsed as Rukia none too discretely slugged him in the gut.

"Are you all right Kurosaki-_kun_!?" Rukia cried in forced worry. "Oh no! I'll have to take you to the nurse's office!"

Rukia proceeded to drag Itigo out of the room as everyone stared, all wondering the same thing. _Did she just punch him!?_

—_Abandoned courtyard, Karakura Kotogakko—_

"Here!" Rukia said, tossing Itigo what looked like a Pez Dispenser with a duck head.

"What the hell is this?" Itigo said with a dubious expression.

"_Gikongan_! A pill that forcibly pulls the spirit from the body. Normally, it's used on those who have already died and haven't given up their bodies, but I'm giving it to you so that you can eject from your body when I'm not around."

"So… the reason you were gone this morning was to go and buy this?"

"Among other things. Remember that if you take that, your real soul will leave your body, while a temporary replacement takes over."

"_Gikongan_, huh? It says 'Soul Candy.'"

"Uh… th-that's because the _Sinigami_ Women's Association complained that '_gikongan_' isn't a cute name, so it was changed three years ago."

"Why is it a duck?"

"Does it matter?" came a voice from above as Minato appeared in a flash of light. "Just pop one and see what happens."

"Oh? And why don't you take one too?"

"I don't need one. Shadow clones, remember? Besides, only Orihime and Chad, and maybe Tatsuki, know I exist, so there is no need for a replacement. Either way, it wouldn't be safe, putting a temporary soul in my body. I have many abilities that aren't human, and a soul could cause havoc if it got hold of my body."

"Whatever. Let's get this over with." Itigo grumbled, popping a light green pill out of the dispenser. For several seconds after swallowing, nothing happened. Then there was a blue flash and Itigo was standing in full _sinigami_ glory next to his body, which was slumped over the wall.

"I really did come out!"

"Surprised? Now no one will notice your absences!" she exclaimed, pointing at Itigo's discarded body, which had begun to stir.

"Nice to meet you!" the replacement said in a robotically cheerful manner as soon as it was fully erect. "My name is Kurosaki Itigo. My Favorite Phrase is 'Early to bed, Early to rise!'"

"108 _sinigami_ scientists calculated an 'ideal personality' for the temporary soul to adopt. Cool, huh?"

"No, it's not! What is that!? That's nothing like me!" Itigo cried, outraged. His ranting was cut short by a beeping from Rukia's pocket.

"Perfect, an order! Leave him here and let's get going!"

"NO! We'll be found out! Hey, 'me,' get over to my next class! Minato, keep an eye on him!"

"Sure thing, Itigo." Minato called as Itigo disappeared around the corner. "So, you going to enjoy yourself while it lasts?"

"You know?" the temporary replacement asked, suddenly fearful.

"Well, I know you're not a normal _gikongan_. Why are you so scared?"

"I'm just nervous about being found out by _sinigami_. I'm what's known as a _kaizou konpaku_, or a mod-soul_._ I was part of the experiment known as 'Spearhead.' My kind was created as a means of combating hollows by placing spirits with powers into cadavers, but we were deemed unnecessary and unnatural and were systematically destroyed by _Seireitei_. As far as I know, I'm the only one left.

I enjoy the chance at freedom, but I won't kill. Please don't tell anyone about me, I don't want to be destroyed!"

"Don't worry, why don't you limber up. We'll head to Itigo's class and then, we'll have some fun."

"OK, I hope you can keep up." the mod-soul said before jumping from a stand still all the way to the roof on the other side of the courtyard. He turned back to see Minato, to revel in his amazed expression, only to be surprised to see him missing.

"So, you are a modified legs model." came the voice from beside him, causing the mod-soul to start violently. "That was a good jump, and would surely amaze most people, but it was sub-par compared to the jumps I'm used to making."

"How did you do that? No normal human can jump like that!"

"Where I come from, jumps of that distance are common for humans. Let's get you to class."

"Alright, but we're going my way!"

—_Karakura Kotogakko, class 1-3—_

Tatsuki and Orihime were eating lunch with their friends, lost in thought about the events from several days ago. Orihime suddenly stood, rushing to the window.

"What is it Orihime?" Tatsuki asked, curious at her behavior. "Ah! Don't do that! Your panties are showing!" she cried as Orihime put one foot on the windowsill.

"I smell Kurosaki-_kun_!" Orihime said, looking very much like a predator stalking its favorite prey.

"'_Smell?'_ What, are you a dog or something? Besides, this is the third floor. We're thirty feet up, even if you smelled him, he couldn't come through the…" Tatsuki never finished as someone who seemed to be the aforementioned strawberry appeared in the window, landing lightly on the sill.

"This is class 1-3, isn't it?" the figure asked, stepping off the sill to allow a blonde-haired man to take his place.

"H-how'd you get up here?!" Tatsuki yelled, pointing at 'Itigo.'

"How? You saw, I _jumped_. You surprised?"

"_So we have an attention-starved_ kaizou konpaku_ and a room full of witnesses. I just hope he isn't _love_-starved as well."_ Minato thought, exasperated as he watched the proceedings.

"_Man! This class has some __fine__ girls!"_ the mod-soul thought, inadvertently shooting down his companion's thoughts. _"They're all above average! I've been imprisoned for a while. I'm hungry for girls too… It doesn't matter, I'll just pick one."_

"K-Kurosaki-_kun_!" Orihime said tentatively, drawing the attention of 'Itigo.' As a result, the mod-soul's eyes were drawn to her chest, nearly stopping his heart.

"_EXTRA LARGE!!!"_ he thought overjoyed, not seeing his Arian companion face palm at the perverse gleam in his eye. The mod-soul jumped, clearing the crowd of onlookers, landing on a desk in front of the confused Inoue.

"Nice to meet you, pretty lady." 'Itigo' said in a smooth voice. "Would you please tell me your name?" he inquired, moving to kiss Orihime's hand before being grabbed in a full nelson by an enraged Tatsuki.

"You bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing? Get away from Orihime!!" In response, 'Itigo' craned his neck backward to look at Tatsuki.

"You know," he started. "from up close, you're pretty cute too." This statement was followed by 'Itigo' kissing Tatsuki on the cheek.

"_Great, even here I'm surrounded by perverts!"_ Minato lamented. _"Maybe giving him those copies of _Icha Icha _forced on me by Ero-sensei will curb his lust."_

He was brought out of his musings by the crash of a desk flying out the window beside him, and he saw Itigo's black-haired friend hefting a second.

"DIE!!!" Tatsuki screamed, hurling the desk at 'Itigo.' _"Wow, she's like Tsunade and Kushina combined!"_ Minato thought. _"I'm just glad she doesn't carry shuriken, or people would be dead right now."_

"What!?" the mod-soul asked. "All I did was kiss your cheek! Are you in grade school? Calm down."

"SHUT UP!!" Tatsuki roared, slamming a desk down on where 'Itigo' had been seconds before.

"Well, I'm bugging out." Minato said, sensing Itigo and Rukia coming. He jumped out the window and vanished into a tree across the street from the school.

"That's enough!" came Rukia's shout from the door moments later. A look of terror flashed on the mod-soul's face and he dashed to the window for escape. "There he goes, Itigo!"

"Yeah!" Itigo said as he jumped into the window the mod-soul had used for entrance. "Now… give up there's nowhere for you to…" he trailed off as his body leapt from the broken window beside him.

He watched stunned as his body landed unharmed thirty feet below before sprinting off faster than humanly possible.

"What's going on!?" Itigo asked, stunned. "What in the world is he?"

"There's no doubt about it," Rukia said, completely serious. "he's a _kaizou konpaku_, a mod-soul!"

With that, Itigo and Rukia sprinted from the room, leaving a confused Orihime and an outraged Tatsuki in the disaster zone that was their classroom.

A minute later, Itigo's friends opened the door, freezing.

"Wha-? What happened here?" Keigo asked, awestruck at the devastation. Then he saw the enraged Tatsuki standing in the center of the room, radiating a black aura of malice throughout the room.

—_Elsewhere, near Karakura Syougakko—_

Minato was looking for the mod-soul, just to keep an eye on him. He was also thinking up an excuse for Itigo, so that he could justify giving the mod-soul free reign. Then he spotted 'Itigo' bounding down the street, flaunting his jumping prowess. He used a _sunsin_ to get over to him, shouting out a 'hey' from a rooftop of to the right of his path.

"So, enjoying yourself?" he asked the mod-soul.

"Yeah! It's great being able to move and be free after so long. I'm also really happy that my abilities make me stand out."

"Mmm. Just remember that you're going to have to give that body back eventually."

"But if I do, they'll destroy me!"

"If Rukia explains to Itigo about you, not likely." Minato said. "Itigo is similar to me. He never liked the idea of tossing aside a being for the sake of convenience. I'm sure he won't let you be destroyed."

By this point, the two had made it over to _Karakura Syougakko_, where Karin and Yuzu went to school. They were perched on the roof of the shed, watching three boys in physical education uniforms play on their Gameboy Advances. As they played, they complained about gym and Karin.

"Ah! Damn it, my guy lost again! Can't you even fight? Who do you think created you!?" one said, annoyed, causing 'Itigo' to tense up.

"Ha. Why don't you delete him?" his friend asked. The conversation had taken a turn that was all too familiar to the mod-soul.

"Yeah. Those that don't listen to their master… die!" said the first. "I'll just create a better one!" The mod-soul snapped.

The gym teacher was attracted by the boys' screams. "What's going on here?"

"Strange high schooler… appeared out of nowhere… jumping… orange hair… HE BROKE OUR VIDEO GAME!!" they cried, holding up their destroyed entertainment devices.

On a roof several blocks over, Minato and the mod-soul were sprinting away from the scene.

"So those three touched on a nerve, huh?"

"Yeah. They just ruined my great mood." Suddenly both froze, a cold, chilling feeling racing down their spines. Both whipped towards where they had been.

"You feel it?" Minato asked.

"Yeah, hollow. …Near where we just were! I think those three are about to be attacked!" 'Itigo' confirmed before they both sprinted back in the direction they came from.

They reached the area just as a centipede-like hollow was just about to take a chunk out of one of the unsuspecting children. With an intense burst of speed, 'Itigo' grabbed the trio, yanking them out of the way as the hollow lunged. After the hollow struck, it looked up into a powerful kick that launched it away from the mod-soul.

The mod-soul yelled for the trio to run and launched towards the hollow to follow up on Minato's attack. The boys scurried away as the wall surrounding the school was knocked down by the hollow striking it.

"Lure it up to the roof!" Minato called. "I'll meet you up there as soon as I separate from my body!"

Following Minato's instructions, the mod-soul leapt up to the roof, but not without taking an injury from one of the hollow's front legs. The hollow lunged after the mod-soul, halting to play with its food.

"**Hehe… interfering with my meal, running around… I don't know who you are, but… a weakling like you shouldn't get INVOLVED!!"** roared the hollow before lunging again, just to be cut off by a massive blade slicing through its front legs.

"You saved-" the mod-soul started, but was cut off when Itigo grabbed him by the shirt.

"You idiot, that's my body you're dicking around in! If you get injured fighting trash like this, then stay out of it!"

"Hey! If I hadn't gotten involved, three kids might have died! I had to hold him off 'cause you weren't here!"

"**I'll devour you both!!"** cried the hollow, lunging once more, this time cut off by a black o-katana plunging through its mask.

"Be quiet while the grown-ups are talking." scolded Minato as it began to dissolve into a flurry of _reisi_ (spirit particles). Sheathing his blade, Minato approached Itigo.

"There you are. Been looking for you ever since I got back from that cleansing three hours ago." he said, addressing the mod-soul. "Sorry about that, Itigo. I wasn't able to keep your body out of trouble." he admonished, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Itigo was about to respond when a cane hit the back of "Itigo's" head, forcing the mod-soul out.

"Mission complete!" came a cheerful voice as the owner bent down to retrieve the pill. "Hey there, Minato! You here helping Itigo with his 'out-of-body experience?'"

"Hello, Kisuke. No, I have had nothing to do with the _gikongan_ incident."

"Wait! What are you going to do with him!?" Itigo demanded of Kisuke, who was tossing the green sphere about lazily.

"Dispose of it, of course. Why?"

"Wait a minute. You can see us? Just who are you?"

"Um… How do I answer that…?" Kisuke asked himself as Rukia snatched the mod-soul from him.

"He's a greedy salesman." she stated bluntly, ignoring the childish protests of the candy-store owner. "There's no need to confiscate him, Urahara. If anything happens, I'll take the heat."

"Whatever." Kisuke said, regaining his composure. "If this blows up on you, don't expect me to bail you out."

With that, the staff of _Urahara Syōten _left, leaving the trio alone on the roof of the school.

—_Sunset, unknown street, Karakura—_

The trio was walking back to the Kurosaki Clinic, discussing how to keep the mod-soul. After Rukia confirming that any body that could house the pill would be a suitable container, Itigo picked up a stuffed lion off of a pile of roadside waste and inserted the pill.

Several seconds and one violent swinging later, the mod-soul kicked off of Itigo's hands and landed facing the trio.

"Well, not the best in terms of body choices, but it'll work I guess." the mod-soul said after looking himself over. "By the way, am I going to get a name? You can't just keep calling me mod-soul all the time."

"How 'bout 'Kon?'" Itigo asked.

"'Kon!?' I'm a lion, not a fox you moron!"

"So? It's short for _konpaku_, and with what you did to my body, which still stings by the way, you deserve it."

As Itigo and Rukia walked off into the distance, Minato picked up the newly christened Kon and set him on his shoulder.

"Tell you what." he said. "If you go along with this, and stop throwing yourself at girls all the time, I'll give you something my _sensei_ gave me as a wedding gift."

"What?" Kon asked, curiosity piqued.

"Let me tell you a little about a series from my world called _Icha Icha_."

**Notes**

_Syougakko_ is Japanese for elementary school.

No, Minato is not a pervert, he just didn't have the heart to throw out the books that were given to him by the closest thing he had to a father.

Thank you to all who so far have read and enjoyed my very first fiction. I hope you continue to read and review this work, and remember that the version with phonetic Romanization will be coming out soon.

A last reminder that there is a poll on my profile page. I can't make an informed decision on just four votes people!

_This story is a licensed product of Aperture Science incorporated, helping create a better future today for those of us who are still alive_.

-Kyuubi799


	8. Quincy's Challenge and Rukia Disappears

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

I still do not have enough votes to decide on a pairing for Itigo, so do remember there is a poll on my profile page. If you do not see someone in the poll that you want (barring Rukia), please do not hesitate to PM. As far as Minato is concerned, expect Uzumaki Kushina to appear at some point in the _Invasion of Seireitei_ arc, and no, she won't be a _sinigami_. Please remember that Romanizations, excluding names, will be _italicized_ and will be in a direct format (_Itigo_ as opposed to _Ichigo_) in this version.

The stories of Grand Fisher and Kanonji will be skipped (so assume they were canon) due to this story focusing on Minato's involvement, and he did not fight in either (he wasn't even present at Kanonji's show).

**IMPORTANT! DO NOT SKIP:**

_I am beginning to tire of reviews criticizing me on the romanization. If you do not have a problem with the plot, do not post a review. I have already informed people various times that there is a second story with 'normal' romanization, and the same plot.  
Again, please do not post reviews with criticism regarding the romanization. It will not help me write the **story** any better._

**Chapter VIII- Quincy's Challenge and Rukia's Disappearance**

—_Flashback, 17 July, Cemetery—_

_Ichigo was bleeding badly. He had just been stabbed by the hollow he now knew had killed his mother, Masaki Kurosaki. Its name was Grand Fisher, and it was incredibly strong._

"_You have to help him! He's going to die!" Rukia shouted at Minato._

"_I am not entitled to participate in this battle. This is Itigo's fight, a fight to reclaim honor lost when his mother was murdered. If I were to interfere, I would not be forgiven. Either he or Issin must be the one to strike down Grand Fisher." Minato calmly explained as he impassively observed the battle._

_As they watched, Itigo wounded Fisher badly enough to cause him to retreat. Without a word, Minato turned and left, thinking, "_Good job, Kurosaki._" before he disappeared in a yellow flash._

—_Present day, Karakura Kotogakko—_

It had been two weeks since that incident, and the hollow attacks were getting fewer and further between. Minato was getting bored, and had been relieving this through intensive training with his _zanpakuto_, and had recently unlocked his _sikai_ and learned his _zanpakuto's_ name.

After that, his time was spent observing the three classmates who had been involved with Itigo's battles with hollows. He also took this time to run surveillance on Isida Uryuu, the class's number one performer and Karakura's resident Quincy.

The boy intrigued him, as he seemed aware of Itigo's _sinigami_ status, and also seemed to detest him for it. It was this day that he decided to approach the spiritually aware boy. He was following him from a distance, and noticed Itigo doing the same.

After five minutes, Uryuu called out to Itigo, initiating a conversation between the two. It was then Uryuu revealed his sensory abilities, and Minato decided to stop suppressing his _reiatu_, blanketing the area with an immense pressure that caused Uryuu's breath to catch.

Minato approached, letting up enough so that the Quincy could breath.

"Who are you?" Uryuu demanded.

"I'm Namikaze Minato, _Yondaime Hokage_ of _Konohagakure no Sato_, and Itigo's partner in _sinigami_ crime. Pleasure to meet you Uryuu."

"How do you know my name?"

"You give your sensory perception too much credit. I have been following you since I noticed you three months ago, and my _reiatu_ exceeds the _sotaicho _of the _sinigami _corps, perhaps even that of vasto lorde level hollows, though I wouldn't know, seeing as I have never fought one."

"Hmm, big words. Care to back them up? How 'bout a little game?"

"You wish to test yourself against me? Foolish. While you may have the advantage of range with your Quincy bow, I am far faster than you could possibly imagine. I have also fought more battles against greater odds than you. In fact, I am well known for having killed an army of two hundred in less than ten seconds with one technique. That technique earned me a flee on sight order in the enemy's ranks and the alias _Konoha no Kiiroi Senko_."

"Impressive boasting. The rules are simple," Uryuu said taking out a hollow bait. "Whom ever kills the most hollows of the three of us within twenty-four hours wins. We begin… now." he finished as he crushed the bait.

Across the town, a hollow began to appear, a blue arrow of light streaking towards it. Minato closed his eyes, shaking his head, then disappeared, reappearing on the hollow's back with his _zanpakuto_ through the back of its head. It disappeared in a flurry of spirit particles just before the arrow impacted.

Minato _Hirasin_'ed back, looking at the stunned Uryuu with an impassive face.

"One." he stated simply before disappearing in another flash.

—_Park, 1600 hours—_

Karin felt a strange foreboding. She and her friends had been playing football (the version the rest of the world plays) when it struck. She stopped and turned towards a strange source of energy, the feeling of foreboding worsening as she spotted a crack in the sky.

—_Karakura Koukougakko, same time—_

Tatuki, Orihime and the resident extremely vocal lesbian, Tizuru, had been detained to clean up a large amount of glass from an inexplicably shattered window. Tatuki and Tizuru were bantering and exchanging insults, but Orihime was not participating, she kept glancing to the roof of the school, where she saw a silhouette that only she seemed to be aware of.

Finally, her instincts to run won out.

"Hey, let's go home you two."

Tatuki and Tizuru stopped bickering. "Huh?"

"W-well, there's a show starting soon that I don't want to miss, so let's just get going now…" Orihime said, pushing her confused friends ahead of her as they protested.

"Hold on." Tatuki said. "I need to go change back into my normal clothes." She left before Orihime could protest. At the exact second Tatuki rounded the corner, a shadow fell over Orihime. She looked up in horror as several hundred somethings shattered the windows still intact in the courtyard.

—_Karakura Commercial Area, same time—_

Sado looked at the distorted area in front of him, the only thought in his mind to get this thing away from the people around him. Without a word to his friends, Sado took off toward a park in the vicinity, hoping that no one would be there so that he could fight it off without interruption.

He ignored the tingling in his right arm as he ran.

_I'm sorry grandfather, it seems I'm going to have to break my vow not to fight._ He thought as he fingered a medallion hanging from his neck as he ran.

—_With Minato—_

_Stupid fucking Quincy. Just had to pick now to have a pissing contest. There are way to many civilian targets for these things, and despite appearances, I can't be everywhere with Hiraisin._

"Twelve." came Uryuu's voice from his right.

Minato turned around. "Twenty-seven." he said, deadpan. He then threw a chakra-coated kunai that buzzed by Uryuu's face less than a millimeter from his skin, which pierced dead center of a hollow's head, dissolving it into a flurry of _reiryoku_. "Twenty-eight. I was _Hokage_ for a reason. Once this is over, we will discuss your need to have a pissing contest during the busiest part of the day. Where I'm from, what you've done would get you executed for reckless endangerment of civilian lives." Without looking away from Uryuu, Minato plunged two more kunai into the masks of hollows that were behind him, purifying them. " Twenty-nine, Thirty."

Shooting Uryuu a glare that could melt Europa in a microsecond before causing Jupiter to spontaneously combust, Minato flashed away, heading for where he sensed Kon.

—_Horde of hollows, less than ten minutes later—_

"Kami! Can't I leave you and Quincy alone for ten minutes without you two getting boxed in together by several hundred hollows?" Minato asked before turning to Uryuu. "Forty-two."

"Think you can clean these guys up then?"

Without answering, Minato unsheathed his _zanpakuto_, then blurred and vanished, reappearing less than a second later in a crouch with his _zanpakuto_ mostly sheathed. When he clicked it shut, the horde dissolved into a huge flurry of particles, which dissipated quickly.

"Now that that's over with, we just need to deal with big and ugly over there." he said, pointing to the tear in the sky, from which an extremely large and particularly revolting hollow stepped out of. "Be careful. That bastard is putting out enough _reiatu_ to light a small town. I believe Kisuke called it a _Menos Grande_. And believe it or not, this is a small fry."

"Small? It's as big as a fucking skyscraper for crying out loud! How much bigger can they get?"

"I'm not talking size. That's as big as they come, but they're weak as shit. Guess I'll let you deal with it. Good luck." And then Minato was gone.

—_Karakura, location unknown, 0000 hours (midnight)—_

"Even when falling you are so slow, …" said a man in _sinigami_ attire. He was wearing a white haori over his _sihakusyo_, and was quite regal looking. Faster than most onlookers could follow, though there was no one to see him, his _zanpakuto_ slid from its sheath to deal the death blow to his opponent, who had orange hair.

Just as quickly, he found its blade held steady by two fingers, mere millimeters from its target. His eyes snapped to the face of the man holding it.

"Ah ah ah. I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Besides, you got who you came for."

"Who are you?"

"It is customary for the asker to introduce themselves first. But no matter. Namikaze Minato, substitute _sinigami_ for Kurosaki Issin, _Yondaime Hokage_ of _Konohagakure no Sato_, and _Konoha no Kiiroi Senko_ at your service."

"Kutiki Byakuya."

"Not very talkative, I see. Looks like you have a pole up your ass longer than Fugaku and Hiasi combined. You're quite quick, but you still move like a snail in comparison to me. I've won a race against Sihoin Yoruiti, the self-proclaimed goddess of flash herself. Without _sunsin._"

"Release my blade."

"Or what?"

"Or I shall make you. _Hadō yonban: byakurai_." The white bolt of lightning streaked through the space just occupied by Minato. Byakuya's sword was still in his grasp. Now Byakuya's free hand was also trapped, pinned against his right side by his arm, his _zanpakuto_ lightly pricking the back of his neck.

"I'm afraid you're much to early to be able to even touch me, let alone kill me." Minato said from behind him. "By the way look over at your _fukutaityō._"

Obliging, Byakuya found his _fukutaityō_ unconscious and pinned to a tree by several knives.

"I suggest you leave with your target before I kill you, and then feed you to him, before sending you back to _Seireitei_ in a box." The pressure on Byakuya was let up, and his _zanpakuto_ returned to him. As he turned to Minato, he found his adversary's hand on the hilt of his _zanpakuto_, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

Byakuya sheathed his _zanpakuto_, then turned to his _fukutaityō_ and picked him up, leaving the knives on the ground where they fell. He beckoned to Rukia and opened a _senkaimon_ back to _Seireitei_, taking her through. Minato watched him go in silence, then turned to Itigo and retrieved him, hauling him to _Urahara Syōten _for recovery and training.

**Notes**

I apologize for the lack of updating, so as atonement, I shall be posting many updates over the next few days.

Once again, this fiction is based around Minato's involvement in the events of Bleach, so Kurosaki will have very little 'screen time.' His battles will be canonical in the Invasion arc, so read the manga if you want details, as they won't appear.

Again, Itigo's pairing is undecided as of yet, and will be until at least Bount arc. Six votes a result does not make people. I implore you to go to my profile page and vote.

_And now a moment of silence for Alucard, because the world needs more insane f***s like him to keep things fresh._

—Kyuubi799


	9. Designation: Ryoka

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

I still do not have enough votes to decide on a pairing for Itigo, so do remember there is a poll on my profile page. If you do not see someone in the poll that you want (barring Rukia), please do not hesitate to PM. As far as Minato is concerned, expect Uzumaki Kushina to appear at some point in the _Invasion of Seireitei_ arc, and no, she won't be a _sinigami_. Please remember that Romanizations, excluding names, will be _italicized_ and will be in a direct format (_Itigo_ as opposed to _Ichigo_) in this version.

**Chapter IX- Designation: **_**Ryoka**_

—_August 20XX, Karakura, Urahara Syōten—_

"So, how's the kid doing since he accidentally became a _vaizaado_?" Minato asked. "I'm surprised you didn't drag him to some underground lab to experiment on him."

"He's fine," said the _geta_-wearing shopkeeper. "Besides, I know a few _vaizaado_ already. _Ōte."_

"Is Itigo aware of his inner?"

"_Ī__e_."

"You'll have to tell him sometime. _Tsumi._"

"Mm. Good game." Minato stood up.

"Alright, I'll be back tonight to head to Soul Society. You'll be ready by tonight, yes?"

"_Hai_."

It had been ten days since Rukia had disappeared, and Urahara's makeshift _Senkaimon_ was nearing completion. Tonight, the invasion began.

_—Kurosaki Family Clinic, 0100—_

"_Mr. Hat-and-Clogs told me to leave my window open around now. Said something about a message. Wonder why he wouldn't use the phone."_ Itigo thought as he opened is window. There was a gust of wind, then a loud splat as a ball flew through his window and collided with his closet door. It turned out to be filled with red paint the color of blood.

"_What the hell? I really hope that comes off!"_ the paint began to coalesce into kanji.

'_Please meet at Urahara Syōten immediately.'_

"_It looks like the last words of a someone about to die! Wait there's more."_

'_P.S. Those who think this looks like the message of someone about to die… you have no sense of humor!'_ Itigo's pillow met the wall after this.

Itigo snuck out of the house and was about to lock up when a shadow fell over him.

"Goooood Mooorning Itigoooooo!" came his father's cry right before Itigo sidestepped and Issin hit the ground, hard. "You escaped my attack right now, no wonder you are my son!"

"What the hell are you doing!"

"Before you go, I wanted to give you this. It belonged to your mother." Issin said, holding out an old good luck charm.

"If you're sure, then thanks. I'll take good care of it." Itigo said before he took off.

"I'm guessing that was for Kon, then?" Minato said from behind Issin as they watched Itigo make his way to Urahara Syōten.

"You know me well. Take care of the kid will ya?"

"I'll make sure he lives, no guarantees that he'll have the same number of limbs though. I won't get involved in his fights unless the opponent is above _fukutaityō_."

"That's really all I can ask. Thanks."

"See you within the next 25 days." and with that, Minato was gone, leaving nothing behind but a flash of golden light.

_—Urahara Syōten, 0130 hours—_

Minato watched the interactions of the gathered teens for a moment before making his presence known.

"If you two are done displaying your unresolved sexual tensions." he said, interrupting what was sure to be a witty retort from Itigo. "We have a sinigami to save. Urahara, if you would."

"Right. I'm going to explain this once. Please listen carefully, otherwise, you will die before ever reaching soul society. Follow me."

The group followed Kisuke to the basement training area, where he stopped before a seemingly empty space in between two small cliffs.

"Please look over here." _snap_

At this action, four pillars, two horizontal and two vertical, appeared, forming a rectangle. Each pillar was covered completely with paper seals.

"I will teach you how to safely use this device. It is called _senkaimon_, and it is the door to soul society. But first…"

Itigo was suddenly struck in the head by Urahara's cane, sending his soul tumbling out of his body. After interested reactions from his peers, excluding Uryuu, who had already seen it happen, they focused back on Urahara.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, I will explain how this works. Minato, why haven't you changed clothes?"

"Hold on." there was a flash of light, and Minato was standing beside his now uninhabited body. "There."

"Anyway, in order for your three," Urahara said, pointing to Uryuu, Sado and Orihime, "to enter soul society, you need to be in spirit form, which is why this gate is covered in _reisihenkankon_, or seals that convert living beings to _reisi_, or spirit particles.

"This next bit is imperative, so listen closely. You have exactly four minutes to get to the other side, so do not stop moving for anything. You do and you are dead. As soon as Tessai and I open this gate, get in and get moving. Yoruiti will be your guide to soul society so don't get separated."

Urahara knelt by the _senkaimon_ and started channeling energy. The gate began to glow in the center, and wind began to blow.

"Go!"

The six began running and were consumed in a bright light as the gate opened.

_—Dangai—_

"I told you not to remain still!" Yoruiti yelled as the ragtag invasion group ran down the tunnel to soul society, the kōryuu closing in on them.

"It's caught me!" cried Uryuu. Suddenly Minato, who had just appeared next to him, freed him. Minato then picked him up fireman style and sprinted to catch up, closing the distance in a matter of seconds.

"The kōryuu has changed. Its spiritual pattern has shifted."

"_Kuso!_ It's the _seimityo_! It only appears once every seven days, why did it have to be now? Don't stop, don't look back. _Seimityo_ is made of the same stuff as the kōryuu, and it is very, very fast."

As they sprinted for the exit, Minato caught up with Orihime who was about to invoke the _Santenyuitate_. He grabbed her, disrupting the incant.

"Bad idea." He then put on a burst of speed, using his increased momentum to slam into Sado and Itigo, sending them flying out of the exit, closely followed by himself and Yoruiti.

Itigo and Sado hit the ground hard, though their bodies were able to weather the impact. Minato landed with considerably more grace, having flipped around in midair and using his _tyakura_ to slow his descent, landing softly despite having Uryuu and Orihime in his arms.

"We seem to have landed on the border between _rukongai _and _Seireitei_. We had better be careful. Those in _rukongai_ are wary of _ryoka_ like us, and the fact that two of us look like _sinigami_ won't help." Yoruiti warned.

"Hey, those buildings over there look different." Itigo said. "I take it that's _Seireitei_?"

"Yes, but we can't just go—" but what they couldn't just do was lost to Itigo as he charged towards the border. Just before reaching it, he was stopped by a large barrier crashing down in front of him, impeding further progress.

"Damn it Itigo! Don't go charging in half-cocked like that, you'll get killed. Wait, where's Minato?"

(From now on, the story will follow Minato. Assume all of Itigo, Uryuu, Sado, Orihime and Yoruiti's interactions are canon)

_—Other side of the _seki-seki _barrier—_

"Oh my. This just won't do. Jidanbo's not supposed to let anyone through." said a silver-haired man with squinting eyes and a grin in a _taityo's haori_. "Might I enquire who as to I have the pleasure of killing?"

"Sorry, I'm not in the habit of giving my enemies information. You are welcome to try and stop me, though I doubt you have the ability to keep up. Even Sihoin Yoruiti has difficulty tracking my movements." Minato stated, turning away from the man.

"I wouldn't doubt my abilities." said the man, now directly behind Minato, the point of his _tantou_ to Minato's back.

"And I wouldn't underestimate mine." came Minato's calm voice from behind the other man. "Go ahead and skewer my clone there, it won't make any difference." He was gone in the next second, a small disturbance of dust the only indication of his presence.

"Hoh, he's fast. And without _syunpo_ either, seeing as there was no _reiatu_ burst. I'll have to watch out if I ever fight him. Now, about those other _ryoka_."

_—Rooftop, 11__th__ division barracks—_

"So, a _taityo_ that early, I hope they are okay without my help."

"I'd be more worried about yourself, seeing as you had the misfortune to run in to me."

Minato turned and looked up into a vey heavily scarred face. One with an eye patch and a very sadistic grin.

"_Kuso_."

**Notes**

Well, Minato runs into the craziest character of the series. I wonder how he fares against Zaraki. Sorry about the long wait, college is a bitch and so is writer's sphere. (thanks to Dan Shive for that concept)

Translations-

_Ryoka_- wanderer, given to souls that enter soul society illegally

_Vaizaado_- Vizard/Visored, a _sinigami _that has gained hollow powers by donning a hollow's mask.

_Ōte_- check, a courtesy in _syogi_, or Japanese chess, not a requirement. Used when other players king is in jeopardy.

_Tsumi_- checkmate, end of a _syogi_ game.

_Ī__e_- no

_Hai_- yes

_Senkaimon_- gate to soul society

_Reisihenkankon_- seals used to convert physical particles to _reisi_

_Reisi_- spirit particles

_Dangai_- world between the physical and spiritual plane

_Kōryuu_- catching current, prevents illegal spirits from crossing the divide between life and afterlife, anything caught cannot be retrieved.

_Kuso_- expletive: damn, shit, fuck, etc.

_Seimityo_- the cleaner, a bullet train like creature composed of the _Kōryuu_, very fast and appears once every seven days.

_Santenyuitate_- the triangular shield summoned by Orihime capable of deflecting any attack, no matter how powerful. Uses three of the six _syun syun rikka_ possessed by Orihime.

_Tyakura_- chakra, the energy used by characters of the Naruto Universe. Kana are チャクラ (tya-ku-ra)

_Rukongai_- the outer area of soul society where most souls live. Composed of 80 districts, the lowest numbered being closest to _Seireitei_.

_Taityo_- captain, the highest-ranking officials of _Seireitei_

_Seki-seki_- stone only found in soul society. Invulnerable to spiritual attacks and projects a 360-degree barrier around it that diffuses spirit particles.

_Tantou_- short sword.

_Syunpo_- flash step, high-speed movements performed using short bursts of _reiatu_, or spirit energy.

Still carrying on.

—_Kyuubi799_


	10. Infiltration

Minato: Life After the Sealing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto (_Masasi Kisimoto_) or BLEACH (_Tite Kubo_); I am merely borrowing the characters and plot elements for entertainment purposes. Also be aware that there may be some spoilers for those who have not read up to the point where Sinji has been introduced in BLEACH canon.

I still do not have enough votes to decide on a pairing for Itigo, so do remember there is a poll on my profile page. If you do not see someone in the poll that you want (barring Rukia), please do not hesitate to PM. As far as Minato is concerned, expect Uzumaki Kushina to appear at some point in the _Invasion of Seireitei_ arc, and no, she won't be a _sinigami_. Please remember that Romanizations, excluding names, will be _italicized_ and will be in a direct format (_Itigo_ as opposed to _Ichigo_) in this version.

**Chapter X- Infiltration**

—_Rooftop, 11__th__ division barracks—_

"Looks like it's my lucky day. Here I was, on my way to a _taityo_'s meeting, minding my own business, and you pop up, right in front of me. Quite heavily armed too, as if prepared for war. Tell ya what, I'm raring for a fight, and am willing to give you the first shot. Better make it count."

Minato stared impassively up into the face of the scarred giant. As the obviously demented _taityo_ spread his _haori _to expose more of his chest, Minato analyzed his spiritual presence. _'Hmm. Extremely high _reiatu_ level, most focused in his skin. Likely gives him high-density flesh that's hard to pierce, making fast, precision strikes useless. Looks like I'll finally have to break _her_ out.'_

Minato gripped the hilt of his _zanpakuto_, drawing it with a soft _hiss_. Focusing his _tyakura_ into his arms, he flashed forward and struck down with all his might. Just before impact, he forced a razor edge of wind _tyakura_ into his blade.

Blood flew.

'_Damn. Skin is denser than expected. Wound is superficial.'_ Minato thought as he smashed his left palm into the insane fighter's chest, using his _tyakura_-boosted strength to propel his opponent backwards, planting a _Hiraisin_ seal on him surreptitiously at the same time.

"Oh? Seems I was right. You _are_ strong, since you were able to cut me. I'm really going to enjoy this fight." That was all the warning Minato got before the space he had been occupying was blasted apart by an immensely powerful swing.

'_Opponent's sword is nicked and dulled beyond what should be usable. Likely he is using _reiatu_ unconsciously to create a cutting edge for battle.'_ Minato analyzed as he ducked another swing from his crazed opponent. He then blurred into motion, stabbing both a _tyakura_-coated kunai _and _his _zanpakuto_ into his opponent. The blades pierced each shoulder, the kunai striking a nerve bundle, his blade shredding muscle and pulverizing bone.

The other combatant's arms went limp, his tattered _zanpakuto_ clattering to the ground.

"Heh. This is the first time I've ever been disabled in battle. I'm… _exhilarated!_ I think I'll have to remove my eye patch for you! I haven't had to do that since I became _taityo_!"

The bloodthirsty giant stomped on the hilt of his _zanpakuto_, sending it flying upwards. The blade impacted the eye patch, knocking it loose. There was a massive blast of pure _reiatu_, and the giant caught the airborne blade with his somehow functional right hand.

"Remember this name: Zaraki Kenpati! It's the last one you'll ever learn!"

"While you have very high _reiatu_, it is unfocused and is no danger to me. Remember my name: Namikaze Minato. It is pitiful that a _taityo_ would be unable to make me unseal my _zanpakuto_."

The newly identified Kenpati grinned manically, then charged his overpowering _reiatu _smothering the area as he approached. As he swung down, Minato disappeared with a golden flash. The building was cloven in twain by the impact of Kenpati's blade, and then he felt an immense pain as an obsidian ō-katana sprouted from his midriff.

"As I said, you power is too unfocused and is no danger to my being, despite its volume. That blow will not kill you, but it will require medical attention soon if you plan on continuing you career as a fighter. Hopefully you will learn from this encounter, so that the next time we cross blades, I will be forced to call on my blade."

With that, Minato blurred out of the visible spectrum, headed for parts unknown.

_—Division 5 barracks, Seireitei Invasion minus 23 hours—_

Minato blurred into existence atop a non-descript rooftop deep within _Seireitei_. He decided to reconnoiter the area and gain intelligence as to Rukia's location, and suppressed his _reiatu_ to match the surrounding environment. He hugged the edge of the roof, activating a light-bending technique his sensei, Jiraiya, had taught him, and moving as silently as possible.

After five minutes he sighted a _taityo_, this one with straight, shoulder-length brown hair and rectangular spectacles. He was about to move on when he noticed something odd. The _taityo_'s footsteps were coming from a point approximately two feet behind his body, indicating the presence of an illusion.

As soon as he was aware of this fact, he became aware of the illusion's source. _'The illusion is generated by his zanpakuto. This must be Aizen Sosuke. Fighting him would be so much easier with a _Syaringan_. The only option now is either complete suppression of my _tyakura_ or flaring it constantly, which would exhaust me to quickly. Better plant a _Hiraisin _seal on him while he is unaware of my presence.'_

One unknown function of the most famous _jutu_ in existence was the tracking function of the seal used as an anchor. By feeling out the seal with his _tyakura_, Minato was capable of pinpointing an enemy tagged with the seal with incredible accuracy inside a half-mile radius from his position.

With a burst of speed, he bridged the distance between himself and Aizen, appearing before the true body and hit the man forcefully in the chest, burning the seal into Aizen's flesh with his _tyakura_.

Startled by Minato's sudden appearance, Aizen had no time to react before the blond man's palm thrust sent him reeling. Just before he could use _Kyōka Suigetsu_ to ensnare the man and kill him, Minato was gone, leaving no trace of his presence except a broken illusion and a shaken traitor.

Little did he know, he was a _marked_ man.

_—Division 6 Barracks and Prison, Seireitei Invasion minus 20 hours—_

Minato landed silently on the rooftop of the place he had tracked Rukia to. He planned on letting Aizen come out into the open before striking, so he was merely going to place a _Hiraisin_ on Rukia before leaving to determine troop placement and density before Itigo and the others arrived.

Just as he was preparing to break in, he noticed _fukutaityō_ Abarai Renji exiting the barracks with a procession of four white-robed _sinigami_, between which was Rukia. He followed them to a choke point, and blurred into existence before them, barring their progress.

"Hello, Renji, Rukia. Long time." he commented jovially, as if merely stating the weather.

"You! I suppose you are here to break Rukia out?"

"No."

"I thought… What?"

"You heard me. No. I don't fancy my chances against all thirteen division _taityo_ alone. But there is something I must do before you incarcerate her elsewhere."

"No one may interact with the prisoner during transport. Leave before I behead you."

"Well then, if I can't go around you, I'll just go through you."

"As if! _Howl, Zabimaru_!"

Renji's _zanpakuto_ morphed into a vicious-looking, single-edged chain sword, which promptly extended to flay Minato into small, bloody chunks.

Only to meet air. Minato was no longer standing before Renji, instead standing in front of Rukia, hand resting gently on the back of her neck. When he took it away, a small seal lay burned into her skin, visible only briefly as it faded away.

"Well, as pleasant as this visit was, I have other places to be. So I bid you all adieu." With that he was gone.

**Notes**

The plot thickens, Minato disables Kenpati, tags Aizen and Rukia. What other set ups will he put in place, and who else will he hurt badly?

Translations

_Syaringan_- this version of Romanization's spelling of _Sharingan_, the infamous _Mirror Wheel Eye_.

_Kyōka Suigetsu_- Aizen's illusory _zanpakuto_- name means _Mirror Flower, Water Moon_ and can create illusions on par with Yūhi Kurenai's _genjutu_

_Fukutaityō_- Lieutenant, second-in-command of any given division.

The time scale is based off of the point at which Itigo and the others break through the barrier projected from the _seki-seki_ wall surrounding _Seireitei_. That is considered T-minus zero.

Remember to fight writer's sphere.

—_Kyuubi799_


End file.
